"Ranching For Wildlife" Program A Real Winner

Published: January - 1998

Since 1988, Colorado's Ranching for Wildlife program has been working to provide hunters with opportunities to hunt antelope, bear, elk and mule deer on private land with a high chance of success and limited competition. The program is currently offered on 23 Colorado ranches totaling over 800,000 acres of private lands. Several of these ranches have participated in the program for many years. The Division encourages the ranches to employ various wildlife management practices, including habitat protection and improvement, and population manipulation through hunting. In return, they are allowed to set their own season dates with the approval of the Division of Wildlife. The ranchers are also guaranteed a number of hunting licenses to distribute as they choose, although they must allow the general public to use no less than 10 percent of the allotted licenses.

These public hunt licenses are awarded through a special drawing that is held by the Division. Hunters interested in entering the lottery should contact the Colorado Division of Wildlife to request a copy of the proclamation for the year they plan to hunt. The proclamation includes complete instructions and applications for entering the drawings for antelope, black bear, elk and mule deer. The Ranching for Wildlife properties are listed in the proclamation and given a hunt code number, which must be shown on the application to enter the drawing. The Division mails each successful hunter his license, while the ranch itself sends the licensee a packet including the rules of the ranch. For example, some ranches require only that the successful hunter check in and out with them each day. Others provide guide service and help with the meat and antlers or skin.

Keep in mind that the ranchers derive no income from the hunters who are drawn in the lottery. As Ranching for Wildlife Director John Seidel puts it, the beauty of the program is it gives the ordinary hunter who's lucky enough to get drawn an opportunity to hunt trophy animals on private land for nothing more than the cost of his license. Those costs in 1997/98 for a non-resident,........(continued)